The Battles Within
by Deception's Call
Summary: The best kept secrets are the ones that keep us wondering, the ones that keep us hoping like that first dandelion in the spring. -an alternate ending to the war in Mockingjay-


The world erupted into a city of fire. Screams shook the city into oblivion. There were children crying for their mothers, cowering in collapsing buildings and beaten down cars. Parents were in agony in trying to find their child, whether or not they were sure if they still had one.

There was certainly no hope in this place.

Bombs had dropped into a fleet of a human shield, children were burning. Burning. Burning.

They were all burning.

Including Katniss Everdeen.

The president's mansion was ransacked by the rebel forces. Tables turned over, photo frames smashed and a vase of roses ripped apart.

The city was in chaos.

The nightmares of the Mockingjay came true that night. Gale being captured, Peeta disappearing…her sister burning.

Everything fell apart.

She thought at the time that maybe it was all the bad deeds coming back to her – karma, perhaps.

But she never believed in karma.

Things ran a course in life, either it happened or it will. Or either it didn't or it won't. There was no 'it's going to come bite me back' in her life.

However, in that moment, she thought that maybe it existed. And she thought about every bad deed that she did.

Such as being cold to Peeta on the train back to District Twelve. Deceiving Peeta. Not thanking Peeta for the bread earlier. Breaking Peeta's heart.

Everything was always harder with Peeta.

She was a monster.

And she liked to think about that when she was burning…it gave her a certain sense of justice for herself. That everything was finally biting her back, just as she deserved.

But truthfully…justice was just about putting the blame on someone.

The funny thing of the entire situation was that the girl on fire was burning – drowning in her own flames.

It's ironic.

The flames engulfed her like her dress on the night of the interviews, illuminating her with a fiery glow that perfectly matched her personality. And just like the Opening Ceremonies, it swept behind her like a cape. She felt like she was flying. Like a mockingjay with a burning wing.

Katniss Everdeen had reached her sister just in time to shield her from the incoming ambush of fire and flames. She couldn't block out the whimpering body underneath her arms, and it transported her back to the day of Prim's first reaping – the day that changed everything.

She couldn't believe how far she had come. And how many lives were lost in the process.

The heat climbed up her body, reaching every point of her soul. It consumed her. Blinded her.

But she never let go of her little sister.

Katniss felt the warmth underneath her arms, and she could see Prim's tears dropping on the hot ground. The flames pierced their bodies, scorching their skin.

She had to get Prim out of there. But she couldn't move. She was frozen in fear. Or more like she was melted into her spot.

Many things rushed through her mind when the city was getting bombed.

Was Gale alright?

How was her mother? Does she know what's going on?

How will she fare once she realizes what happened to her two daughters?

What will she say once she finds out that I failed in protecting Prim?

What will the people of Panem say once they realize that their Mockingjay is dead? If there's any people left.

Where's Peeta?

Her heart ached. She failed in her job. She wasn't able to protect him, and she won't be able to if she's not breathing anymore.

There were so many things that she wasn't able to do. And in the flames she realized something that would have changed the course of Panem forever if she realized it earlier.

That she loved Peeta Mellark.

She wondered what could have happened if she learnt this earlier – would she be able to stop this rebellion? Convince President Snow?

But there was something that struck her core when she was thinking about this. A sudden realization.

Obviously, President Snow knew Katniss loved Peeta before she did. Because he did whatever he could do to break her.

So evidently, he took the boy with the bread.

He could have snatched up Gale for his illegal hunting, and he had also suspected something going on between the girl on fire and her 'cousin.'

But no, he ruined Peeta. And he knew that it would shatter her to pieces.

President Snow was indeed convinced.

But she knew deep inside, that if he didn't make it out of this war, he would want her to move on, preferably to Gale.

But the thing was that he had already stolen her heart.

He had suffered torture for her. He was broken because of her.

So he stole her heart…by breaking his own.

And she ached for him. She wanted to move, to find him so badly. She wanted him in her arms, back in District Twelve. She wanted him to ward off the nightmares, she wanted him to protect her like she him. Because that is what they do after all – protect each other.

But right now, that seemed impossible.

The war raged on and on and on, until the city practically burned to the ground.

Burning. Always burning.

Panem was back to where it started. In ashes.

Will it rise again?

The rebel forces were almost unable to take down the Capitol, they were hanging on by a very loose thread.

The thing was that they weren't able to celebrate their victory with their Mockingjay.

They couldn't find her. Not her body. Not her ashes. Nothing.

She had disappeared.

So they declared her dead.

However something was amiss, they couldn't find the boy with the bread either. A soldier had informed President Coin that Peeta had saw Katniss in the midst of the fiery battle…and had gone in.

They never came out.

The country was in mourning. They had lost two of their beloved catalysts. And now they were martyrs.

Yet they kept hoping. They were always hoping to see them rise from their own ashes, to save them from the horror that their new dictator had dawned upon them once again.

They would not take them for granted again.

Tears were shed when the first mockingjay sang in the morning, up til the moon rose at night. None of them could find solace in their sleep. None of them could find solace in the stars.

All of them clutched that sliver of hope in their hearts. Their lives were always going to be intertwined with them until their last breaths. They fought for freedom. But freedom has a cost.

They can always hope.

No one knew what happened to the star-crossed lovers. Some say that they died in the fire. Some say that they're in hiding. While others say that they were taken prisoners and executed.

There are two types of secrets: the ones we keep...and the ones that are kept from us.

And everyone has their secrets.


End file.
